The invention concerns a two wheel hand truck or barrow of the type comprising a vertical frame, a pivotable carrier plate at a lower end of the frame, and two pivotably mounted wheel supports at a lower end of the frame.
There is a need, in many cases, to transport small loads in a simple and safe manner by a hand transport device, and it is desirable to be able to take the transport device along in a vehicle for use at an unloading site. Such occasions arise, for example, when moving purchases into a car and then from the car into a house. There are also applications during recreational activities, if for example, when preparing for a sailing trip the boat is to be equipped, numerous equipment items must be loaded on board, while in general the landing berth cannot be reached by car. In such cases, barrows may be used for transportation at both the loading and unloading sites. Both in private homes and if carried along in cars or on board a boat or the like, it is necessary to be able to fold the barrow as flat as possible while keeping its weight down.
Collapsible and light-weight barrows are known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 3,043,603. The barrows proposed therein comprise a rigid vertical frame with a transverse bar as the handle. A carrier or scoop is articulated at the lower end of the vertical frame in a manner pivoting around an axle extending transversely to the plane of the vertical frame. Also, at the lower end, wheel braces are provided, together with the wheels required for the rolling of wheel barrows. The wheels are capable of inward swiveling and are provided with safety means to secure the wheel braces in their unfolded position. This safety means, in the form of noses engaging recesses in the wheel bushing is not highly reliable. Also, in the case of slight controlling forces acting on the wheels, due to the great lever translation, the application of substantial forces to the locking nose must be expected, so that deformations in the area of the bearing bushing will render the pivoting of the wheels difficult.
A different type of fixing of the unfolded wheel braces is described in German Pat. No. 19 43 253, wherein the wheel brace is secured with a locking pin. The barrow also comprises a scoop plate that may be folded upward, making it possible to reduce the size of the vertical frame.
A very elaborate arrangement is described in German Pat. No. 19 82 824 wherein the inward pivoting of the wheels is forcibly combined with the shifting of the grip part of a sliding shackle.
Other wheel barrows, principally for the transportation of luggage are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,895 and Swiss Pat. No. 217,650.
An object of the invention is to provide a barrow of the aforementioned type, which may be brought in a simple manner from the folded position into the unfolded (operating) position and vice versa. Such a barrow must be safely secured in its operating position and adapted to occupy the smallest possible space in the folded position. The barrow should also be of a light-weight construction and be capable of being manufactured economically.